atw: Re: National Broadband Network issue (some OT on insulation)
- From: Peter G Martin <peterm_5@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Fri, 20 Aug 2010 12:13:35 +1000 (EST)
Some of don't actually regard "sceptics" as pejorative term, but use it in
quotes as a way of indicating that the usage may be inexact.
Some of us might be sceptical of Senate Committee reports.
Some of us might indeed be sceptical of Senator Conroy's work in a number of
areas.
Some of us might also be sceptical of a policy that seriously offers 12 Mbits
peak speeds for internet as a viable alternative.
Some of might also think that private enterprise has an important part to play
in the national economy, and that a mixed economy makes more sense.
Some of us might have noticed that the NBN plan arises from work by -- wait for
it -- private enterprise companies -- who, one might have thought, would almost
be made immune from the mistakes that the public sector must always commit,
according to some of us.
Some of us actually might think that the pink bats controversy was actually
something of a furphy which the government left it too late to defend much, and
gave up on because the hysteria had already taken over.
OT warning.... (although the subject was raised).
For example
I was under the impression that under the insulation scheme, the government
provided about $1000 to private individuals to make their own choices to spend,
provided it was spent on home insulation, and that private choices were at the
heart of the free enterprise system.
And of course, when mistakes were made, as is their wont, private individuals
blamed the gummint in the usual manner, although the gummint didn't install one
single pink bat!
Apparently the gummint trusted private individuals to make their own choices
and judgements, and now feels sorry for them, and is trying to help them out of
the hole they dug for themselves, as gummints are wont to do on occasions for
banks, motor vehicle manufactures, etc etc., particularly when an election is
pending.
I was under the impression that the insulation scheme stuff-ups -- some of them
apparently of a criminal nature -- were made by a series of ill-trained or
unscrupulous small business operators. But then I had to remind myself that the
small business operators are at the heart and soul of the free enterprise
system. They were apparently just simple business persons engaged by private
individuals with the money government so fiendishly gave to them.
I was under the impression that the free enterprise theory says economies
thrive best when private businesses are allowed to be free of regulation.
I also could have sworn that the constitutional power to regulate housing
alterations and construction is provided to the state governments, because it
is not included in the specific powers granted to the Commonwealth.
I was under the impression that the death rate in housing construction
generally is higher than that for the recent insulation installations, but that
there also have been high risks in the insulation area for years before this
scheme and that there have been warnings about risks in this area for years --
issued by state governments.
See ? Some of us can be real sceptical, and occasionally also expect
individuals to take responsibility for their own choices when they get given
money to spend.
But others apparently want the government to be nannies for everyone when they
give them money to spend on something intended to save energy and stimulate the
economy.
Hmm... Why do I think there are some rôle reversals going on here ?
-Peter M
----- Original Message -----
From: "Rod Stuart" <rod.stuart@xxxxxxxxx>
To: austechwriter@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Thursday, 19 August, 2010 1:52:31 PM GMT +10:00 Canberra / Melbourne /
Sydney
Subject: atw: Re: National Broadband Network issue
Strange how a point of view that opposes the standard group think is labelled
as "sceptical" nowadays.
In any event some of us 'sceptics" might have actually bothered to read
Conroy's NBN implementation plan, as well as the Senate Committee's report, and
might actually have understood those documents. Some of us sceptics might
actually be aware of the risks outlined therein. Coupled with the current
administration's deplorable track record of waste and reckless abandon
(reference the 3.6 billion dollar home insulation scheme debacle and the 8
billion dollar schools rort) some of this scepticism might actually arise from
factual evidence rather than daydreams of the benefits of allowing this mob to
proceed with yet another pork barrelling political stunt.
On 19 August 2010 11:16, Peter G Martin < peterm_5@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx > wrote:
A couple of "sceptics" here seem to have latched onto the facile argument that
the NBN is about having more time for people to download movies. It's the
equivalent of saying we have a telephone network today so people can spend all
day talking to each other on the phone and not doing any proper work (an
argument that was raised about establishment of phone systems).
Of course this is nonsense. Increased bandwidth may be used for movies in some
instances... including movies of things like business and academic conferences,
university lectures, training sessions for increased workplace productivity --
which don't sound as trivial as people wanting to download movies for
entertainment. And in each of those cases, there are opportunities to reduce
travel and transport costs, CO2 and other pollution, which some of us see as
important.
But it so happens that our "phone" system today is of huge advantage to private
businesses like banks, insurance companies etc etc etc. When we get increased
bandwidth (there isn't really much doubt about it) private sector businesses
will be first on the "socialist" bandwagon for more business transactions and
data exchange. Hell, some of them might even be able to get around to
electronic funds transfers that don't take 3 days to work their way from one
bank to another ! (Why do I doubt that? Ok they'll have the capacity, if not
the will.)
I've spent years documenting uses of the internet that have nothing to do with
movies. And each and every system I've worked on documenting has had issues at
some point or another with capacity and bandwidth, even as the bandwidth
available expanded up to 10 times or more.. So conservative thinkers might
consider that things will stay pretty much the same... we have found uses for
the phone system in the past to the point where its carrying capacity has had
to have been increased exponentially. That process is bound to continue, if we
look at parallel developments overseas.
Gee, why would you ever want to use more than 640k of RAM in your personal
computer ? Just so the kids could play more of those computer games ?
Meanwhile, those who advocate the "free enterprise system" which of course, has
its benefits as well as its disasters, might note that a general requirement
usually seen as a condition for "freedom" in this context is the avoidance or
restraint of monopolies. We happen to have a case where a single company has
been handed 75% of the national communication grid.. This same company is also
a supplier of services over that grid, in "competition" with others who have
limited access.
Whatever you want to call that, it ain't "free enterprise".... it's entrenched
monopoly, and the governments of both major persuasions who contributed to that
situation stuffed it up. And both of them have a responsibility to try to
restore some balance.
-Peter M
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--
Rod Stuart
6 Brickhill Drive
Dilston, TAS 7252, Australia
< rod.stuart@xxxxxxxxx >
M((040) 184 6575 V(03) 6312 5399
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